City to hold public meeting regarding annual budget

LAREDO, TEXAS (KGNS) - Providing more jobs, upgrades to the international bridges, and buying equipment to better protect the community, all items the Laredo City Council wants to talk about.

$600-million is what the City of Laredo has to work with the challenge is to figure out how to spend that money, to get the most bang for the buck.

"We're gonna be discussing all the elements related to the city and look at the major departments in the city and outline what they plan to budget for," said City Manager Carlos Villareal.

Villareal says public safety is one of the items at the top of the list.

"There's gonna be additional academies for fire and police men, what we plan to do about equipment and their needs."

Randell Flannery move to Laredo, six years ago.

"I think it's a great idea, and we need as much protection as can."

Another item the city will discuss is opening the library on the south side of town, Flannery says it's needed.

"I really approve of the libraries. I'm originally from Dallas and Laredo's a real nice community and the libraries are great and use them all the time."

Villareal say the city also wants to provide more jobs.

"What we're gonna be doing is hiring additional people. We just opened up some new parks and venues, and the maintenance and operation of these centers will never stop, we have to fill these positions in order to take care of the facilities."

Villareal says the goal is not only to balance the budget but to provide a better quality of life.

The upgrades to the international bridges will go toward the weigh and motion equipment, which will allow18-wheelers to move more steadily.

The current weigh and motion equipment is 50-year-old, and by making these upgrades will help move trade a lot faster.

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